Mid-Century Modern Heywood-Wakefield Cabinet
View Similar Items
Mid-Century Modern Heywood-Wakefield Cabinet
About the Item
- Creator:Heywood-Wakefield Co. (Manufacturer)
- Dimensions:Height: 66.5 in (168.91 cm)Width: 50.13 in (127.34 cm)Depth: 19 in (48.26 cm)
- Style:Mid-Century Modern (Of the Period)
- Period:
- Date of Manufacture:1960s
- Condition:Wear consistent with age and use.
- Seller Location:Brooklyn, NY
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU1546213013282
Heywood-Wakefield Co.
Created by the 19th-century merger of two venerable Massachusetts furniture makers, Heywood-Wakefield was one of the largest and most successful companies of its kind in the United States. In its early decades, the firm thrived by crafting affordable and hugely popular wicker pieces in traditional and historical styles. In the midst of the Great Depression, however, Heywood-Wakefield reinvented itself, creating instead the first modernist furnishings to be widely embraced in American households.
The Heywoods were five brothers from Gardner, Massachusetts, who in 1826 started a business making wooden chairs and tables in their family shed. As their company grew, they moved into the manufacture of furniture with steam-bent wood frames and cane or wicker seats, backs and sides. In 1897, they joined forces with a local rival, the Wakefield Rattan Company, whose founder, Cyrus Wakefield, got his start on the Boston docks buying up lots of discarded rattan, which was used as cushioning material in the holds of cargo ships, and transforming it into furnishings. The conglomerate initially did well with both early American style and woven pieces, but taste began to change at the turn of the 20th century and wicker furniture fell out of fashion. In 1930, the company brought in designer Gilbert Rohde, a champion of the Art Deco style. Before departing in 1932 to lead the Michigan furniture maker Herman Miller, Rohde created well-received sleek, bentwood chairs for Heywood-Wakefield and gave its colonial pieces a touch of Art Deco flair.
Committed to the new style, Heywood-Wakefield commissioned work from an assortment of like-minded designers, including Alfons Bach, W. Joseph Carr, Leo Jiranek and Count Alexis de Sakhnoffsky, a Russian nobleman who had made his name in Europe creating elegant automotive body designs.
In 1936, the company introduced its “Streamline Modern” group of furnishings, presenting a look that would define the company’s wares for another 30 years. The buoyantly bright, blond wood — maple initially, later birch — came in finishes such as amber “wheat” and pink-tinted “champagne.” The forms of the pieces, at once light and substantial, with softly contoured edges and little adornment beyond artful drawer pulls and knobs, were featured in lines with names such as “Sculptura,” “Crescendo” and “Coronet.” It was forward-looking, optimistic and built to last — a draw for middle-class buyers in the Baby Boom years.
By the 1960s, Heywood-Wakefield began to be seen as “your parents’ furniture.” The last of the Modern line came out in 1966; the company went bankrupt in 1981. The truly sturdy pieces have weathered the intervening years well, having found a new audience for their blithe and happy sophistication.
Find a collection of vintage Heywood-Wakefield desks, chairs, tables and other furniture on 1stDibs.
- Heywood Wakefield Full Size Headboard with Attached Tambour NightstandsBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Brooklyn, NYFor your consideration is this Mid Century Modern Heywood Wakefield full size headboard with tambour doors attached nightstands. This solid wood...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Beds and Bed Frames
MaterialsMaple
- Sliding Tamboor Door CabinetLocated in Brooklyn, NYSliding door two door cabinet from the late 1950s with two shelves. Tamboor doors in good vintage condition. Doors slide with ease. Cast iron hairpin legs. Two tone wood frame and do...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsSteel
- Oak Pivot Cabinet by Raw Edges for ArcoBy Raw Edges, ArcoLocated in Brooklyn, NYLaunched in 2008, the Pivot was designed by Israeli Shay Alkalay (aka Raw Edges) for Dutch brand Arco as a solid wood cabinet built on tall legs and featuring two drawers. Loosely ba...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Modern Cabinets
MaterialsOak
- Oak Mid-Century Modern Magazine HolderLocated in Brooklyn, NYOak Mid-Century Modern magazine rack. Sold and sturdy with great patina and elegant lines. Handsome wood grain and even color. Cleaned and oiled.Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Magazine Racks and Stands
MaterialsOak
- Mid Century Danish Modern Teak CredenzaBy Skovby Møbelfabrik A/S 1Located in Brooklyn, NYIntroducing this sleek Mid Century Danish Modern Teak Credenza, a timeless piece embodying the minimalist aesthetics of the era. At 60.25 inches in width, 19 inches in depth, and 32 ...Category
Mid-20th Century Danish Mid-Century Modern Credenzas
MaterialsTeak
- Black Mid-Century Modern Floor LampLocated in Brooklyn, NYElegant minimalist black floor lamp. Thin metal pole anchored by heavy and chic tapered base. Shade available for additional $99. We also h...Category
20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Floor Lamps
MaterialsMetal
- Vintage Mid Century Modern Heywood Wakefield Buffet Server Hutch Display CabinetBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Chicago, ILVintage Mid Century Modern Heywood Wakefield Buffet Server Hutch Display Cabinet Feating mid century modern display buffet cabinet. The top has double glass sliding doors with 3 sh...Category
Vintage 1950s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsGlass, Wood
- Mid Century Modern Heywood Wakefield China Cabinet with Drop Front Writing DeskBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Freehold, NJThis mid century modern china cabinet by Heywood Wakefield features hardwood construction, original Wheat finish, two piece construction with removable top cabinet. Sliding glass do...Category
Mid-20th Century American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMaple
- Restored Heywood Wakefield Mid-Century Modern M590 Server or Record CabinetBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Chattanooga, TNBeautifully refinished Heywood Wakefield M590 server. This piece was originally intended to be a compact sideboard in the dining room. We thing the size is ideal for use as a record ...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMaple
- Heywood Wakefield Contessa Mid Century 4 Drawer Cabinet with Hutch - PairBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Countryside, ILHeywood Wakefield Contessa Mid Century 4 drawer cabinet with Hutch - Pair Each cabinet measures: 30 wide x 18 deep x 31.5 inches high Ea...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMetal
- Heywood Wakefield Contessa Mid Century 2 Door Cabinet with Hutch, PairBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in Countryside, ILHeywood Wakefield Contessa mid century 2 door cabinet with Hutch - Pair Each cabinet measures: 30 wide x 18 deep x 31.5 inches high Each...Category
Vintage 1970s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsWood
- 1960s Mid Century Hutch by Heywood WakefieldBy Heywood-Wakefield Co.Located in North Hollywood, CAMid-century cabinet designed and manufactured by Heywood Wakefieldcrica 1960s. This stunning cabinet features a maple frame that easily separates into two pieces, making it easy to t...Category
Vintage 1960s American Mid-Century Modern Cabinets
MaterialsMaple
